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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25571296">That Would be Enough</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/iCheat/pseuds/iCheat'>iCheat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Steter Week 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teen Wolf (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ficlet, Good Intentions, M/M, Selkie Stiles Stilinski, Steter Week 2020, Talia Hale (briefly) - Freeform, Werewolf Peter Hale, bad actions, image prompts, selkie lore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:34:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,072</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25571296</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/iCheat/pseuds/iCheat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A seal and a wolf live together by a lake.</p>
<p>For Day 3 of Steter Week image prompts</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Steter Week 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1850872</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>293</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>That Would be Enough</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The wolves prowled through the snow, silently stalking after the herd. They stayed around the lake, despite the wolf pack that shared the area. The pack spread around till they had the targets in range then pounced. The herd startled as a large black wolf leapt for the throat of one of the deer taking it down before joining the pack to catch a couple more.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The seal swam happily through the cool water. Frost was beginning to form on its surface but below it was still lively.  The seal swirled playfully chasing lazily after fish and enjoying the freedom of the water. He swirled through the plants at the bottom of the lake, lazily relaxed and unconcerned by his solitude.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Once the herd was gone the pack settled over their kills. The large black wolf moved towards its first kill and snarled when one of the other wolves approached it. There was a pause, tense and quiet before the smaller wolf re-joined the pack. The black wolf snorted his acceptance and moved closer to the deer. The pack watched as he shifted, taking on the form of a man and lifting the deer onto his shoulders.</p>
<p>The sometimes-wolf had established himself in the area and he wasn’t quite pack, because he was sometimes-man, but they let him run with them and he hunted with them and took his kill elsewhere. The pack continued to be wary but they had little fear as they ate their hunt and he walked off with his towards the lake.</p>
<hr/>
<p>A muted sound floated through the water and the seal began rising, swimming faster as he moved towards the top of the lake. He breached to surface as the howl rang out again he twirled around to see the wolf sitting on the shore. The wolf spotter him and howled out over the water again. The seal dived down quickly before shooting up and doing a flip out of the water.</p>
<p>The wolf barked, tail wagging excitedly as it bounced around the edge of the lake not quite willing to get in the water. The seal dived and swam swiftly towards the shore. He popped out right in front of the wolf who hopped back with a startled yelp. He growled playfully and shook off the little water that had splashed onto him.</p>
<p>When he looked back up there was a man standing in the seal’s place, his skin appearing as a long cloak wrapped around him to ward off the cold.</p>
<p>He smiled and started walking around the lake towards the cabin on its edge. The wolf quickly fell into step with him and after a few steps the paw prints his left in the snow changed to matching footprints. Their hands twinned together as they returned to their shared home.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em>“Talia what have you done?” Peter asked in a horrified tone as he stared at the familiar skin haphazardly thrown over the chair in her office. Peter’s hands itched to reach over and smooth it out but he didn’t quite dare to touch it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“This has gone on long enough, Peter,” Talia said in a hard tone. “You want to be with the selkie, fine, but your constant wandering it starting to affect the pack. You know he’ll leave eventually. This is how you keep him.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“By holding him captive?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s his nature Peter!” Talia said, exasperated. “He’s not going to stay around otherwise, regardless of how much you believe he’ll stay for you. He’s going to leave and I don’t want to see you get your heart broken when he does.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Peter stared at her in horror for a moment but before he could work out what to say there was a knock at the door. The smell of ocean brine floated up to him and Peter was moving before he could think about it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Talia followed him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Peter got downstairs and opened the door to find Stiles looking up at him with wide eyes and the tiniest uptick of his lips. He was wearing a loose robe that smelt faintly of Talia. She’d clearly wanted to leave him clothes but not have her scent over someone Peter was claiming.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You took my skin,” Stiles said with a sort of awed melancholy to his voice.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“No, I-”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Yes,” Talia said, standing a few steps back with Stiles’ skin in hand. Peter watched Stiles’ face drain of colour and his shoulders slump. “That means you have to stay, correct.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Yes,” Stiles said, voice pained as he ducked his head to avoid looking at her. His hand rubbed against his leg.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Good,” Talia said, already turning away. “Come in then.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Stiles hesitantly stepped into the house, seeming to crumble into himself. Peter reached for him then hesitated, unsure of his welcome, but Stiles fell into him. Collapsing against him and taking a shuddering breath. Peter wrapped his arms around him and could feel the selkie shaking, a quiet sob escaped him and Peter held him tighter.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I’ll fix this,” he whispered, a desperate promise in his voice. “I’ll fix this.”</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>When the wolf looked back up there was a man standing in the seal’s place, his skin appearing as a long cloak wrapped around him to ward off the cold.</p>
<p>He smiled and started walking around the lake towards the cabin on its edge. The wolf quickly fell into step with him and after a few steps the paw prints his left in the snow changed to matching footprints. Their hands twinned together as they returned to their shared home.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Peter and Stiles walked into the cabin hand in hand. Out the back, their garden grew carefully segregated from the natural plants of the area. Peter’s hunt was being bled from one of the trees.</p>
<p>In a while Peter would prep it. Skin it for the pelt and freeze up the meat they wouldn’t eat tonight. They ventured into civilisation as rarely as possible so they wasted no resource available to them.</p>
<p>Ever since Peter chose to abandon his pack bonds. Disobeyed his Alpha to steal Stiles’ skin and steal them both away. They survived together without obligation or expectations.</p>
<p>Peter was happy with the actual wolves of the forest. They weren’t conventional pack bonds but they were enough.</p>
<p>Stiles was happy with the lake, the fish and plants. It wasn’t the ocean but it was enough.</p>
<p>They loved each other and that was enough.</p>
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